Touring Quebec City

We toured just about all of Quebec City today, so much so that we're making an adjustment to our schedule for the next couple of days.  This will make our travel day to Maine easier on Monday.

We started the day with this breakfast of pastries & juice delivered to our door.









First we spent time in the Lower Part of Quebec City which was beautiful.  The pictures cannot describe the wonderful smell of food cooking everywhere.  We could not visit the inside of Notre Dame de Victories because it was closed.

Chateau Frontenac from the Waterfront

Rue St. Paul

Dave with Cannon

Street Musician

In the parc

Parc Felix LeClerc

Place Royale

Notre Dame de Victories

Quartiere du Petit Champlain

Shopping

Breakneck Stairs

Instead of taking the steep stairs to the Upper Town, aptly named the Breakneck Stairs,  we used the funicular.  We had beautiful views during our short ride.

Funicular

Funicular

Dave

Ida

Terrace Dufferin

Samuel Champlain

Tobaggan Slide

US Consulate

We visited the Chateau Frontenac on the terrace.  By this time, we were so far ahead of schedule we added some things we were supposed to do the next day.

La Citadelle

This active military installation and the official residence of the Governor General of Canada is considered the oldest military building in the country. The Citadelle of Quebec is a National Historic Site of Canada, a World Heritage Site and is located within Quebec’s Historic District on top of Cape Diamond (Cap Diamant), the highest natural point of the area. It forms part of the city’s fortifications and was built between 1820 and 1850 – the largest British fortress in North America.

Visitors are invited to take guided tours of the Citadelle to reveal its over 300 year history, and also experience its current day activities as the garrison of the Royal 22e Regiment.  A tour of the citadel includes a self-guided tour of the Royal 22e Regiment modern interactive museum at its entrance. The citadel also incorporates the Honor and Memory Medals Gallery, which presents a collection of 300 sets of medals accompanies by photographs and biographies.

A good time to visit La Citadelle is between June 24th and the first Monday in September, when the Changing of the Guards ceremony runs daily at 10 am on the parade grounds. This colorful event marks the arrival of new sentries who come to relieve those who are currently on duty. The ceremony, which has been a tradition at the fortress since 1928, includes the inspection of the guard, the Regimental Band and Batisse the Goat, the regimental mascot.

I Stand on Guard for Thee
(Sorry, Couldn't Resist)

moat

Barracks

Hospital 

Home of the Governor General 

Jail

Spectacular Views 

St/ Laurence River

Yes, I climbed this mountain

View of the hotel

Cannons Controlled the River

A whole walkway of paintings for sale

Chapel reserved only for the military

Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

After this tour, we took a break and had some lunch at one of the cafes nearby.  Then, we tried to see as much of the Upper Town as we could.  Lots and lots of shops and cafes.

Place d'Arms

Street Fete on Rue St. Jean

Ramparts

As one of the few cities in North America which boasts a well preserved city fortification, Quebec invites visitors to delve deep into its history and experience first-hand how and why the ramparts were built, starting in the 17th century. The original fortifications were built to meet the fledgling colony’s security needs and consisted of the first fort, a merchandise and supply store and elevated walls. The French properly fortified the walls in 1690 after the fall of Port Royal in Acadia, making the west side a priority due to their vulnerable position. After the British won Quebec City from the French in 1759 in the famous Battle of the Plains of Abraham, they began refortifying existing walls.  These fortifications were declared a National Historic Site of Canada in the late 40s and the wall also encompasses nearly all of Old Quebec, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Four surviving gates make up the Ramparts of Quebec, the one of the two oldest being Porte St. Jean which was first constructed in 1694. Over the years, the gate was demolished and rebuilt due to its condition, and the current gate was constructed in 1939.  Porte St. Louis was also built in 1694 and was replaced in 1871. The other two remaining gates are Porte Prescott (1797) and Porte Kent (1879).


We went through two of the gates.

Hotel du Parlement

Built in Second Empire style, the Quebec Parliament Building (Hotel du Parlement in French) houses the Parliament of Quebec. The eight floor building was designed by architect Eugene-Etienne Tache and bears a strong resemblance to the Philadelphia City Hall. It opened in 1866, standing at 171 ft in Place de l’Assemblee Nationale outside the walls of Old Quebec.  The interesting façade of the building shows a pantheon which represents a number of significant personalities and events through Quebec’s history. The building has four wings which form a square. Above the main entrance are the words “Je Me Souviens” engraved – with these words eventually becoming Quebec’s motto.

Visitors can take a tour of Parliament Building to view the National Assembly Chamber where provincial parliament members sit, famous for its Renaissance architecture, as well as the Legislative Council Chamber. The building is also home to the National Assembly Library, founded in 1802, with impressive collections made up of books in the fields of history, law and political science. A number of rare books dating back to the 15th century are also part of this library. The gardens surrounding the Parliament Building feature many species of trees, shrubs and plants native to 

Our photo

 Quebec.  The building was recognized as a Quebec National Historical Monument in 1985.













We then headed back to the City Hall area to visit the Cathedral and to attend Saturday night Mass in french.  There was only one tricky part where they stand and we kneel.  The cathedral is the final resting place of St. Francois de Laval, who was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.  If your counting, this is our third saint on this trip.   St. Francois was one of the first bishops of New France living in the late 1600s and is known as the Father of the Canadian Church.

Notre Dame de Quebec

Church Interior

Sanctuary

St. Francois de Laval

Mary's Altar

By this time, we're famished.   We walked down to the lower part of town and by trial and error found an outdoor cafe that was just perfect for the occasion,  They had a special for two with a bottle of wine, appetisers, main course and dessert.    Not as many courses as yesterday, but close enough.   At the end of another 9 miles day, we collapsed.

Je me souviens

Appetizer

Chicken Parmesean

Salmon

Weight Watches Chocolate Cake
(Really)